The present invention relates to waste containers, and more particularly to waste containers including grab bars.
Wheeled waste carts and other waste containers are well known and are commonly used in residential areas. The bags of waste that a resident accumulates throughout a given week are typically stored in a waste cart. On a scheduled day, the resident will wheel the cart containing the waste bags down to the curb for pickup by a waste truck so that the contents of the waste cart can be dumped into the truck. The dumping may occur manually or using machinery on the truck that is adapted to automatically lift the waste cart, turn the cart over and dump its contents into the truck. On some trucks, the machinery includes arms that grasp and squeeze the sides of the cart. On other trucks, the machinery includes a hook or gripper that interfits with a handle or grab bar on the cart.
The grab bar is typically formed from metal, fiberglass or plastic. The bar extends through openings in the sides of a pocket formed in the sidewall of cart. To prevent the ends of the bar from sliding back through either of the openings, the bar is typically long enough so that the ends of the bar reach or nearly reach the inner surfaces of the sides of the cart. However, when the arms on the truck machinery grasp the sides of the cart, the arms may squeeze the cart so tightly that the ends of the bar are forced through the sides of the cart, thus creating undesirable punctures in the sides of the cart.
Alternatively, and especially with shorter bars, retainer pins or/or clips can be used to secure the grab bars within the cart. The pins and clips can be secured to the bar after the ends of the bar have been inserted through the openings in the cart. Because the clips and pins prevent the ends of the bar from sliding back through the openings, the bar can be shorter, and consequently the ends of the bar are less likely to puncture the sides of the cart when the cart is squeezed. However, the clips and pins create additional pieces that must be manufactured, inventoried, and installed, thus adding cost. These additional pieces may also be lost, rendering the bar useless without them.